Old Crane Stopper Linkage -- Down the Drain?

**allthumbs** · 05-25-2006, 11:09 PM

I have an old tub with a equally old Crane Accesso drain assembly. I can see through the overflow a solid linkage rod that is still attached to the lever. There is no external linkage -- it all runs through the overflow and drain tubes. I have always been able to pull out the stopper (attached to some hinged linkage) to remove hair, etc. The last time I removed and replace the stopper, it now falls to the closed (flush to tub) position regardless of whether the handle (centered on the overflow) is in the open or closed position.

Worse, whatever happened caused the tub to now drain at a snails pace. It fills with water when I shower. This is not a hair-and-soap problem -- drain cleaner doesn't help a bit. I suspect that some part of the linkage that runs into the drain tube and pushes against the stopper linkage open has fallen and is obsructing an elbow that is about a foot below the drain (I don't know this for a fact, I'm just guessing). Is there anyway for me to see if that is the case? If it is, is there any way for me to extract the offending linkage? I could go to a rubber stopper until I replace the whole thing (much in the bathroom needs to be blown away and replaced) if it weren't for the horribly slow drain. Any suggestions?

**jadnashua** · 05-26-2006, 06:36 AM

That rod may be connected to a hollow tube. That tube is moved by the lever and rod. While sometimes they are a pain to pull out, it should be able to be pulled out after you take off the overflow cover/lever assembly. The rod is threaded with a locknut to allow you to adjust the rest height of the tube so it blocks the actual drain. Sounds like yours, with the accumulated hair/gunk/etc. is not being pulled up far enough to clear the drain line.

hj · 05-26-2006, 08:33 PM

If you describe your drain properly, there should be a spring on the end of the rod, but you may have a different type of drain, but in any case there is nothing that can fall into the drain, although some pieces can become disconnected. Without knowing which type of drain you have we cannot tell you what could be the problem. The sure thing is that drain cleaners seldom cure that kind of stoppage regardless of the cause.

**allthumbs** · 05-27-2006, 12:20 PM

The drain lever is attached to a horizontal rod (of course) that passes from the tub side into the overflow tube side. The end of this horizontal rod that is in the overflow tube has some linkage that I won't try to describe, except to say that it attaches to a vertical tube/rod. It appears that the vertical rod in the overflow raises to close the drain and lowers to open the drain.

I have removed the lever and the overflow cover. This allowed me to pull out the part of the linkage attaching the horizontal rod to the vertical tube/rod. The vertical tube/rod will definitely not lift out. The top of the vertical rod is about a 1 1/2 inch tube. Threaded into that tube is a thick solid bar. I can't see below that. Perhaps if I unthread the tube from the rod inside the overflow then each will then lift out. But it won't be easy as these old parts are all practically welded together.

A couple of important notes: The failure was all at once. Before the failure, it drained a little slow. Now, it drains barely. The drain stopper did not previously sit low. Now it doesn't raise at all. The vertical rod has not unscrewed from the tube -- this is very old and there are enough deposits that nothing unscrews easily (to say the least). Using my fingers, I can raise and lower the vertical bar in the overflow tube through a greater range of motion than when the overflow cover is in place. The stopper does not lift from the tub at all. When touching the stopper while moving the vertical bar up and down, it doesn't feel like anything is making contact with the stopper linkage. I removed the stopper and tried to snake, but cannot get the snake more than 7 or 8 inches in.

Thank you for your response. I can provide pictures if necessary, but it isn't a pretty sight.